It’s been nearly a year, since UrbanBridgez.com first introduced you to Hip-Hop Recording Artist Phreshy Duzit with the release of his debut Atlantic Records single “Pattycake!” In the last year, we’ve interviewedPhreshy and he even made the list on our annual Top 10 To Look out For in 2011. However after months of his debut EP “HateLove” being pushed back which was originally scheduled to drop in March, then later pushed to Spring and since then Atlantic has made no mention of it. Questions began to arise on what was going on with the young star and his label & after UrbanBridgez.com reached out to the label for the latest and received no comment, we decided to go straight to the artist himself.

In this Exclusive Interview with UrbanBridgez.com Phreshy Duzit speaks to Aries about what went wrong and even though currently still signed to Atlantic Records, why soon he will no longer be calling the label home. In a story we’ve heard many times before, he speaks on how the best dream quickly turned into the worst nightmare & why he felt taken advantage of. Phreshy also speaks on why the members of his former imprint SMC went their separate ways, his new album “Brave New World” and his new brand Neighborhood PHCK$.

This is an important read for any upcoming artist, who has goals of signing to a major label and what can happen if you allow them to “sell you a dream!”

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UrbanBridgez.com: You’ve been very vocal recently about your issues with your record label Atlantic Records, explain to our readers what is your current situation with the label?
Phreshy Duzit: The current situation is real. Not only did we have differences on creative terms but the business side was handled very poorly. I came into the situation on a very high note. I was promised a great deal of things prior to the deal that was not fulfilled later on. To say the least, I was sold a dream. At this point I am not on good terms with anybody I know personally in that office.

UrbanBridgez.com: How did they try to change you?
Phreshy Duzit: Musically, the label and I were not seeing eye to eye. At some point the only songs that were getting me any attention in that office were pop songs I was writing for others, which led them to try to convince me to stay on that route. Later on they wanted to act confused on what I was doing, saying they didn’t understand the “lane” I wanted to be in. My management then became A&R’s and got lost in translation. I was kept out of the loop and was treated like Atlantic Records stepchild.

UrbanBridgez.com: Why wasn’t the EP ever released, the joints that came in support of it were getting alot of buzz?
Phreshy Duzit: That run-around began all the friction. The HateLove EP was completed nearly a year prior to the release date. At the point I got the release date I grew way more musically. I matured as an artist. I told them to put it out, and once again they felt the need to keep giving me excuses, trying to tell me to work on more records. It was a digital release, I still don’t understand their reasoning on why they held on to that project. It was a great body of work. I know that, they know that.

UrbanBridgez.com: You mentioned in a recent YouTube video that you feel labels take advantage of new artists, something we’ve heard many times before. How do you feel you were taken advantage of in this situation?
Phreshy Duzit: Any artist that signs their first deal will have a huge sense of accomplishment. It humbles you to a point where you are so grateful to everybody that you feel gave you an opportunity. That fucks up everything, I remember writing part of a hook on a record that is now platinum and not even being credited. I got a thousand dollar check to silence my complaints. That right there is being taken advantage of.

UrbanBridgez.com: What’s next on the label front, what’s being done so you can get out of your contract and are you close to inking a new deal with another label?
Phreshy Duzit: Luckily this deal isn’t hard to get out of. It was a crappy deal. I have a few labels interested that have been reaching out to me based off the music videos I have been leaking. I’m not rushing into anything, I know what I have in my hands is special.

UrbanBridgez.com: You went back in Detroit, what made you go back home instead of staying in New York?
Phreshy Duzit: I was in Detroit, I recorded half of my album there with my producer/engineer Nylez. My family is also there, that is where I feel most comfortable and can work on my craft with no distractions. I’m back in NYC now shooting visuals and recording the final tracks to my Brave New World Album.

I was reluctant to release this song to reserve it exclusively for the album. Please put aside some time to enjoy this very personal track of mine. It chronicles my homecoming back to Detroit following a terrible brief period of working with Atlantic Records wherein I became very disillusioned about a great deal of things. First and foremost, I had to come back home and reacquaint myself with what music meant to me. Where better than Motown herself? I linked up with Nylez and we knocked this out.

UrbanBridgez.com: You spoke to us about SMC earlier this year, what happened with that brand?
Phreshy Duzit: SMC consisted of myself and 3 business partners. My business partners chose to take positions at Atlantic Records. That caused a great deal of distractions on their part, I wish them the best.

UrbanBridgez.com: Tell us about your new brand?
Phreshy Duzit: The new brand is Neighborhood PHCK$. It’s a team that really assembled itself even prior to the downfall of SMC. Everything you see in me is due to the creative nature of this brand. The team consists of Nylez (Production) Butta (Visuals) Rich (Artist) and myself. Anything I released recently was a joint effort amongst my team. We’re all young and focused.

UrbanBridgez.com: You’ve been dropping mad singles and videos via your YouTube, including “Good Mourning,” which is real hot! Do you feel like you have a second wind where you’re more focused now on your music then you were once you got signed?
Phreshy Duzit: I am in a great musical zone right now. I found myself, I am not comfortable but that’s exactly what I needed. I was being misguided and misinformed, I lost the love of creating and was too focused on handling business. I am way more focused now and have way more to offer.

UrbanBridgez.com: Outside of everything else going on with the business, what keeps you motivated to keep pushing forward and not just give up?
Phreshy Duzit: Life & everything that stems from it.

UrbanBridgez.com: We’re celebrating 90’s R&B on our site this month, what R&B joints from the 90’s does Phreshy bump and never gets tired of?
Phreshy Duzit: I grew up on Michael, nothing specific. They were all classics to me. My mom played alot of Tevin Campbell too (laughs).

UrbanBridgez.com: You said recently many artists are in this industry and are not concerned with leaving their imprint in this game, but more so doing it to impress others…what kind of imprint are you trying to make and why is that important to you as an artist?
Phreshy Duzit: There is alot that people are afraid to talk about. Everybody right now is very political on what they choose to speak on, I don’t. My life is mine, I’ve got a story to tell. I’m a good writer, and I’m blessed to have a team that grows with me. We all have a sense of quality and a vision. I have a sound that is like no other. We have laid a foundation to make history and now is the time to execute. This is important to me because I take this seriously, I’m not doing this for fun.

UrbanBridgez.com: Is there anything else you have coming up that you want to let fans know about?
Phreshy Duzit: Look out for my Brave New World album, coming soon. My first show in NYC is coming up soon with the release of my album. Plenty of big things happening behind the scenes also, so stay tuned!

MUCH RESPECT TO DUDE FOR BEING HONEST ABOUT HIS SITUATION. IT MUST BE A HORRIBLE FEELING TO THINK UR WELL ON UR WAY TO FAME AND SUCCESS ONLY TO HAVE IT DELAYED BY THE ONES WHO R SUPPOSE TO BE HELPING YOU ACHIEVE IT. KEEP YA HEAD UP BROSKI AND STAY FOCUSED. NOBODY CAN TAKE YO DREAMS.

This is why I always say, record sales and chart positions are a very small part of what artist are built on. None of that means anything, if your business side is all jacked up. It’s funny he’s speaking about Atlantic records specifically. Rapper Saigon was signed to them in 04. When he was there, he said the same thing Phreshy did. He sat on their shelf for 5 years. But he fought and get his fair due. He left them too. And he got to release his album this year.

Great article. I wish him the best even tho I don’t remember him. I’m interested now. It’s fucked up how these labels (major and indie) fuck you over. It’s all about money to them, not the art of music.

Wow! That’s really bogus how they treated him. My thing is if you don’t know what you’re doing with an artist, why sign them in the first place. You should have a plan presented to them and know what kind of music they’re making

this was a great read. Phreshy if you read this you got support from me & GOTLOUD.com & we all have our paths we take that make us who we are today and for the future. Kid Domination put me on you last week and i just happened to stumble on this today. keep on pushin!! @JerseyNigerian

It’s such a shame Atlantic doesn’t put him on. He also keeps saying in his songs that he ”sold his soul”, I don’t actually think he’s joking. It’s this whole illuminati thing yo, you get signed, get a lot of money and sell your soul.

But I wouldn’t care if he were unsigned, this nigga dope as fuck, but I think Warner would be a good label tho.. or Jive.